MATCHSTICKS

A memoir from “the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college.”

“I was raised at a time when overt racism was practically everywhere,” writes Engh. In 1961, the author was a husband and father working a part-time job, and he had no real ambitions for a future. Then, one day, his mother told him he was a “failure,” sparking Engh to make some changes. He enrolled at Maryland State College (now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore), determined to get a degree in physical education. In this intriguing, entertaining look into the past, the author shares what it was like to become fully aware of the insidious entrenchment of racism in American society. He shares insights into his reeducation via his relationship with his friend Bob Taylor, a Black athlete who helped him on numerous occasions. Taylor’s friendship made Engh realize that shared interests and goals are significant elements in the struggle against prejudice. Interspersed with the primary narrative are sidebar timelines of major events that occurred between 1941 and 2020, which help anchor the author’s personal story in a historical context. Engh’s story, he writes, “is about an education and a friendship, and how anyone can change for the better given the right environment.” Given the “rampant” division that currently plagues our social landscape, the author’s lesson of acceptance and intellectual growth is heartening. Engh went on to found a nonprofit called the National Alliance for Youth Sports, which works to provide rewarding athletic activities for kids regardless of “color or ethnicity.” The author concludes that “racism will only become a thing of the past if we teach future generations not to hate others simply because they are different. We still have a long way to go, but it can be done. My relationship with Bob Taylor is only one example—my example—that shows that it is possible.”

Thought-provoking memories of a civil rights–era friendship that crossed racial lines.